People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop dementia than those who do not suffer from the disease.A new study has shown that people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who took the drug for pioglitazone diabetes were less likely to develop dementia later than those who did not take the drug, as published online in 'Neurology'of the American Academy of Neurology.
The results were more forceful among the people who also had a history of ischemic stroke or heart disease, a disease caused by the narrowing of the hearts of the heart.The study does not prove that the drug reduces the risk of dementia in diabetics, but shows an association, the researchers point out.
"Since dementia develops years before diagnosis, it could be possible to intervene before the progress," says Dr. Eosu Kim, author of the study, of the Yansei University of Seoul (Republic of Korea)-. These results can suggestthat we could use a personalized approach to prevent dementia in people with diabetes in the event that they have a history of ischemic heart disease or stroke. "
For the study, the researchers analyzed the national health database of newly diagnosed people of type 2 diabetes that did not suffer dementia.They were followed up for an average of 10 years.Of the 91,218 participants, 3,467 received the Pioglitazone drug.
During the study, 8.3% of the people who took Pioglitazona developed dementia, compared to 10.0% of those who did not take the drug.After the researchers took into account other factors that could affect the risk of dementia, such as arterial hypertension, smoking and physical activity, discovered that people who took pioglitazone had 16% less likely to develop the disease than the disease than theThey didn't take it.
The benefit was greater among people who had a history of ischemic heart disease or stroke, with reduced risks of 54% and 43%.
Risk reduction also increased as people took the drug for longer periods.People who took the drug for four years had 37% less likely to develop dementia than those who did not take it, while those who took it between one and two years had 22% less likely.People who took the drug were also less likely to suffer a stroke during the study.
Kim points out that the side effects of pioglitazone include swelling, weight gain, bone loss and congestive heart failure, and that it is necessary to investigate more about the long -term safety of the drugThe benefits.
"These results provide valuable information about who could potentially benefit from the use of pioglitazone for dementia prevention,"He showed no protection against dementia, so it is likely that a critical factor that affects the efficacy is the presence of diabetes.
